Dehong Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment
Dehong has had its fair share of seedy nightlife. As a stop over point for illegal substances derived from Myanmar and an area with such a notorious promiscuity problem, the Chinese government has thrown lots of money into cleaning up the area over the years.

With all that said, like most of China, violence is virtually unheard of and Dehong is generally a safe area for a night out. The town of Ruili has a bit more action in the evening in comparison to Luxi which just boasts the occasional coffee shop or whisky café. If you're in search of a bit more action, Ruili has a lively night market in the heart of town and plenty of bars serving the regional favorite: Thai whisky with soda water. Jo Jo's has cocktails, beer and fresh fruit juices and has become a popular backpacker hang-out over the years.

Although there are no designated museums or galleries in Dehong, the temples and pagodas are magnificent displays of the area's rich cultural past and artistic talents.

Festivals & Events

There are several festivals celebrating minority culture. Munao Zongge Festival on January 15 (according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar) is the largest Jingpo minority celebration. The community's history, prosperity and culture are all acted out throughout the day and traditional song and dance breaks out in the evening. The Woluo Festival on January 4 (also according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar) is a celebration in honor of the local crops and harvest which are burned and sacrificed for the ancestors.

Dehong Munao Zongge Festival 
History
Munao Zongge Festival of Jingpo nationality (January 15 by Chinese lunar calendar).Munao Zongge Festival, the grandest traditional festival for the Jingpo people, is held annually on January 15 by Chinese lunar calendar, which usually lasts three to seven days. Honored as ??a ball for all and sundry??, the festival is actually a full-length party on which people recall the origin of the nation, driving out the evils and carrying forward the kindness, wishing good luck and celebrating the harvest. On the festival, people from all directions come to the Munao Poles, singing and dancing around them, which is a magnificent occasion appealing to all the tourists.

Legend
Tradition has it that Munao Zongge is a kind of group singing and dancing that birds learnt from the Sun Ghost, and the Jingpo people learnt it from the birds. It is the drawings of the dance movements carved on the Munao Poles that make this kind of dance hand down to the present day.

Huijie Festival and Woluo Festival of Achang nationality (October 26 and January 4 by Chinese lunar calendar)

Huijie Festival, popular in Husa and Lasa of Longchuan County, is held annually on October 26 by Chinese lunar calendar. At that time, people gather to the meeting place playing Green Dragon and White Elephant made of paper and bamboo, dancing together, to celebrate the harvest.

Woluo Festival, popular in Lianghe and Luxi, is held annually on January 4 by Chinese lunar calendar. The main activities are offering sacrifices to ancestors and reveling by singing and dancing. 

Legend: Tradition has it that the festival is celebrated in memory of Zhepama, the first ancestor of the Achang people, who shot down the false sun of the devil with the divine arrow that erected on the top of Woluo Arch, which save the life of both people and all the other life on the earth.

Peacock dance
Dances and songs of Dai people in Dehong are very colourful. Among the dances, peacock dance is the most famous. Every time when it is Water-splashing Festival or Munao Dance and Song Festival, visitors can have an extremely good time, watching dancing and singing performances of Dai people. Because of the climate and natural conditions, here in areas of Dai people live many peacocks. Dai people have been breeding peacocks for so a long time that this even becomes a local custom. Dai people believe that peacocks are beautiful, kind-hearted, and intelligent. They regard them as the symbol of good luck and thus have great respect for them. Local Dai people also take peacocks as a symbol of their national spirit. They dance peacock dances to express their dreams and ideals and to sing of a good life.